NATIONAL Security Minister Peter Phillips has challenged his parliamentary colleagues to honour the code of conduct they recently signed, promising to help the police root out criminals from any community in the country.

“You cannot want to assist the police except when they come into your community to deal with your criminals.” Phillips’ publicist quoted him Monday saying.

“There is no scope for divide, and you (parliamentarians) have to go to the heart of the problem and distinguish between those who are the masterminds and the kingfish and those who are the victims of their own poverty, hardship and destitution,” Phillips said.

He was addressing hundreds of People’s National Party (PNP) supporters in Oracabessa, St Mary on Sunday night.

Phillips, a vice president of the PNP, also issued a warning to criminals.

“Political affiliation – whether it is real, imagined or pretend – cannot protect you if you are a criminal. PNP is one thing, criminality is another thing entirely,” Phillips remarked. He added that the security forces were resolute in stamping out crime

Arguing that some people would not be pleased about the all-out war against criminals, he declared that the national security forces would not go easy on anyone involved in crime.

“Who don’t like it don’t like it, but your children deserve a better future and Jamaica deserves a better future,” Phillips said.

Pointing out that Jamaica had a long history of links between politics and crime, the national security minister, who is also a candidate for the leadership of the PNP, said now was not the time to play the blame game.

“We can argue about who is responsible, and I don’t come to try to divide Jamaica over who was giving out guns and who built garrison first, second or last,” he said, adding that there was “enough shame to go around.”

According to Phillips, some people with the loudest voices about garrisons were prepared to arm and pay for the armament for political garrisons in the 1970s when they thought they had an interest in doing so. But, he said, if there is anything that should be clear now, it is that the Jamaican people must be united about eliminating the control of donmanship and criminals from the island.

Meanwhile Phllips, in responding to the recent burning of shirts with his picture by some residents in Spanish Town after he had congratulated the police for killing Donovan ‘Bulbie’ Bennett – the infamous gang leader of the clansman gang -said those people were victims of their circumstances.

“The house that was in Rock River, Clarendon, was a substantial mansion. The people who were burning tyres and T-shirts live in hovels; some don’t have a roof over their head. Those I call the victims of their own confusion,” he remarked.